The Social Security Administration recently announced a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) increase for 2012. What does this mean for the individuals who are currently receiving Social Security Disability benefits? It means that millions of these recipients will receive an increase in their benefits for the first time since 2009. The increase amounts to a 3.6% raise in monthly Social Security benefits, which is welcome news to Social Security Disability beneficiaries.

26 million people in America cope with diabetes every day. Each year in November, the American Diabetes Association encourages the American public to participate in a campaign to help with the research, treatment and cure of this disease during National Diabetes Month. All across the nation, a concerted effort is made to raise awareness of the condition and its effects on families and communities.

Some individuals who are diagnosed with severe medical conditions and disabilities are eligible for the Social Security Compassionate Allowances program which includes a variety of Compassionate Allowances Listings that qualify for faster approval of disability benefits. The Social Security Administration provides government employees and Social Security recipients with a complete list of "approved" medical impairments that allow a Social Security Disability application to be eligible under the Compassionate Allowances guidelines.

Even amidst the financial struggles that are currently being faced by the Social Security Administration, the SSA is still working to reduce the overwhelming backlog of Social Security Disability claims that are currently in the system. While the opening of new Social Security offices was put on hold for a time, a new hearing office was just opened in Franklin, TN. How will this new hearing office help the SSA's disability backlog in the state of Tennessee?

With the overwhelming backlog of Social Security Disability claims that are currently in the Social Security System, one would think that the Social Security Administration is doing everything they possibly can to clear up that backlog as quickly as possible. Surprisingly, that has not been the case in the past week.

In an effort to bring an understanding of Lupus to the general public, October has been named as Lupus Awareness Month, and people everywhere are trying to help the masses understand just how devastating the disabling condition can be and how it affects an individual's ability to perform ordinary, everyday activities.

There have been doomsday “prophecies” that the Baby Boomer generation will bankrupt the Social Security system. That the influx of Baby Boomer retires will drain the Social Security fund of all of its money and that the system will go broke, leaving future generations to fend for themselves. How much of this is true? Just exactly how are the baby boomers affecting Social Security Disability and the Social Security programs as a whole?

In the past, it wasn't always easy for a disabled individual to obtain work in our nation's workforce. In fact, with today's fierce competition for almost any type of job that becomes available, the ability for a disabled individual to obtain gainful work is even more challenging. In seven states, however, finding jobs for the disabled may soon be easier than it has been in recent years. Seven different states, including Hawaii, California, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee, Washington and Wisconsin, have all received grants to improve employment opportunities for their disabled residents.

Rick Perry may believe that his views on Social Security are founded in sound logic, but the truth of the matter is that his beliefs couldn't be further from the truth. The Texas governor had no problem bashing the Social Security system, calling it a “Ponzi Scheme” and a “monstrous lie to our kids,” but the truth is that the Social Security System is a viable and sustainable program that can support the nation's elderly and disabled if proper changes are made.

While Social Security Disability fraud is not a new concept or a topic that has never been raised in the past, widespread fraud across an entire region has never really been an issue that the Social Security Administration has had to deal with – until now.

Allegations of widespread Social Security fraud in Puerto Rico have resulted in an investigation by the SSA's inspector general. Exactly what are these allegations and why did the inspector general need to get involved?